I recently returned from a business trip to Honduras where I saw Brazillian Judo fighters perform in the city of Valle. It really inspired me to study a martial art since I grew up in an area with a lot of school and street fighting and never really mentally recovered from my lost fights since my self-defense techniques were poor. After I got home, I went on a kung fu movie binge and watched Bruce Lee and Donnie Yen films like Ip Man, which got me really interested in Wing Chun.

Which art should I study? When I was younger I was taught Tae Kwon Do, but I disliked the kick-heavy emphasis in the art. I've been looking at Judo, Aikido, and Wing Chun, although someone told me that Wing Chun is largely ineffective and inefficient compared to other modern fighting styles. I like the emphasis on hands, strikes, and redirections these appear to offer, but I really don't know much beyond that. Something with an emphasis on self-defense.

Well I study taekwondo and although as you've said there is a heavy emphasis on kicks it's very effective and modern with a bit of focus on self defense, well my taekwondo group is anyway. It's sort of split into fitness,patterns,sparring and then self defense but the self defense I have learned seems to work ahha. I think wing chun sounds fantastic, I love IP man!!

There is a new member to the forum Loud_Spy that seems to know a bunch about martial arts as well. You can find a thread he/she posted as well as others try searching the forum under martial arts as key words. Its funny this post and his post popped up next to each other under view new posts just now.

Which art should I study? When I was younger I was taught Tae Kwon Do, but I disliked the kick-heavy emphasis in the art. I've been looking at Judo, Aikido, and Wing Chun, although someone told me that Wing Chun is largely ineffective and inefficient compared to other modern fighting styles. I like the emphasis on hands, strikes, and redirections these appear to offer, but I really don't know much beyond that. Something with an emphasis on self-defense.

Wing Chun was made for nuns. It doesn't require strength or large amounts of time.

Judo and Aikido depend very much on skill. It can take you a long time to get it and keep it good enough to be able to effectively defend yourself.

If your interest is purely in self defense, not art, than Savate or the Isarali Defense Force classes might be your best bet. Both are mode for modern times ( ie in Savate your practice in shoes, just like you would be wearing if you got into a fight ).

Krav Maga is a style of self defense whereas the Israeli Defense Force is the name for the Israeli military.

I trained briefly with a Wing Chun practitioner and it definitely wasn't for me. Have you seen the skit from In Living Colour where Jim Carrey is a Karate instructor and, each time a new student attacks him successfully, he blames them for having attacked him wrong? That was the vibe I got from it. But, to be fair, my exposure to it was very limited.

That having been said, all martial arts are great, it really just depends on what you hope to get out of them.

I studied Uechi Ryu Karate and Muai Thai for years, dabbled in Wing Chun, now I train in boxing, bjj, and submission wrestling.

If you want to learn how to actually fight, I'd recommend a good foundation in boxing, with some bjj and wrestling thrown in.

forgot (as I think much of the board is in UK)....British Krav Maga Association has been laying down the challenges this Dec...been participating from across the pond...20 days of 2:22 plank challenge...now starting a pushup challenge....

Mantra of KM of Southern Colorado..... Fit to Fight, Fit for the Fight of your life, Fit for life!

"Self Defense isn't for the strong or the swift. It is for those who have reasons worth fighting and training for. "

HUge emphasis on self-defense? BJJ. Most fights end on the ground and being able to punch and kick don't mean anything if you can't get someone bigger off of you. I do Muay Thai, which is good in other respects, but if someone pushes you to the floor, you can only throw so many upkicks

IMO, lots of traditional martial arts emphasis techniques, perfection of motion, and have practical applications and give good cardo/intense workouts. I do one. MMA style. Sparring is my favorite. Followed by self-defense, then probably kata/judo/BJJ in that order.

I also do Krav Maga, which I would say is more real-world, street fighting for your life. No sparring involved and no rules. Just defend, immobilize, live to tell about it. Also, a hell of a total body workout. Note, some of the KM techniques are not allowed in traditional martial arts. BUT, I did help using KM techniques with a young teen in my MMA class getting ready to test along the lines of self defense.....

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